NEWS & NOTES

Hilton will open hotels in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The recently announced deals are part of plan to add four hotels to the 16 the company already operates in Japan. Timothy Soper, VP of operations, noted that Hiroshima and Nagasaki “are experiencing unprecedented tourism growth. With our 55 years’ experience of operating hotels in Japan and our commitment to introducing global industry-leading best practices, we look forward to contributing to this growth.” ● Sands China’s $1.1 billion Londoner Macao resort project, a remodel of the company’s Sands Cotai Central, will begin construction in 2019 with a plan to open in 2020 and 2021. The company is also spending $400 million for the 370-suite St. Regis Tower Suites Macao and $450 million for a 290-suite Four Seasons Tower Suites Macao. ● A number of suspects were arrested in Macau on October 28 for their suspected membership in a loan-sharking gang that lent about HK$60 million to some 80 gamblers, Judiciary Police said. Eighty officers raided nine apartments in Taipa and the peninsula to arrests 26 mainlanders, seven Macau residents and one woman from Hong Kong, seizing HK$1.7 million, 130 boxes of IOUs and a number of mobile phones. ● Restaurants and other dining establishments at Resorts World Sentosa stopped providing single-use plastic straws on October 1. RWS said in a statement that the move should eliminate more than 3 million straws or approximately 1.2 tons of plastic each year, helping to reduce marine plastic pollution. ● MGM China is pressing to complete some of its Mansion luxury villas at MGM Cotai in time for the Chinese New Year in February 2019. The private enclave includes 27 villas topping out at 570 square meters (6,000 square feet). ● The Gold Strike Hotel & Gambling Hall in Jean, Nev., has been rechristened Terrible’s Hotel & Casino. The Herbst family, creators and owners of the Terrible Herbst brand, best-known for a chain of convenience stores and gas stations in the Las Vegas Valley, purchased the Gold Strike in 2015 through its JETT Gaming subsidiary. Jean is located on Interstate 15 about 12 miles from the California border. • Las Vegas’ Palms Resort & Casino is slated to complete a renovation of its high-end Sky Villas suites this month as part of an extensive $620 million makeover of the off-Strip resort. Bentel & Bentel Architects is leading the redesign of the six one- and two-story suites, the largest encompassing 8,500 square feet and retailing for $40,000 a night. • The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts plans a rally in Washington D.C. November 14 that will include a march to the Capitol to urge lawmakers to pass the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act—HR 5244 in the House and S. 2628 in the Senate, to prevent the U.S. Department of the Interior from de-establishing the tribe’s land as trust land in Taunton, where they want to build a casino. This follows a similar rally and walk in October. • The Palm Beach Casino in Mayfair, London in the UK has completed a £2 million renovation that included a new gaming floor, dining and bar and grill. The casino markets toward an affluent international clientele. Casino Director Phil Nunn commented, “While the new restaurant provides our regular high stakes clientele with a much-enhanced offer, we want to attract late night diners as well as Londoners looking for a more experiential experience, whether it be a light flutter and supper or just the chance to watch the gaming tables in action.” • The Hollywood Casino Columbus on the West Side of Columbus, Ohio has no hotel, but soon visitors will be able to stay at a 20-acre RV park with 135 spaces next door. The upscale $6 million operation, to be called Road Adventures Resort, is planned by Chris Haydocy, owner of Haydocy Airstream & RV. Shuttle service will connect the RV park to the casino. “This will be unlike any other RV park in the Midwest,” said Haydocy, who noted that several casinos in the U.S. have RV parks adjacent to them. Hollywood Casino said a hotel is start part of its long-range plans. • Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Pennsylvania will be required to pay $335,000 in sales taxes related to its rental of a closed-circuit television system for simulcasting horse races between 2005 and 2008, under a ruling by the state Supreme Court. Mohegan had challenged the tax bill under the principle that simulcasting amounts to an “intangible product” and is thus not subject to the state’s 6 percent sales tax. The high court agreed with a lower-court ruling that the tax bill is valid, although it did agree that the casino is due a $13,000 refund on sales taxes it paid for intellectual property related to video poker machines. • The Cal Neva Lodge, the shuttered Lake Tahoe casino and lodge that was owned by Frank Sinatra in the 1960s and hosted characters ranging from stars like Marilyn Monroe to mobster Sam Giancana, will open again as a five-star resort, according to new owner Larry Ellison, the chairman of Oracle who bought the property in January. Ellison told local TV station KOLO that a makeover of the Cal Neva will include renovating the 10-story hotel tower, removing the deteriorated low-rise lodge and adding a new building with casino, spa, restaurant and conference center space.